The 15 minute blog post

You know those days when you’ve thrown your content calendar out the window, you’re feeling less than inspired but you know you HAVE to write a blog post to keep your fans in the loop and your subscribers happy? Well, don’t just write any old junk, or worse yet, write nothing. Both options are bad for your reputation. I get that you’re time-poor and not always feeling like JKK Rowling, so I’m going to show how to write a quality blog post fast. In fact, you could do this process and get one out in less than 15 minutes.

Here’s how.

I talk a lot about repurposing blogs, both written and video. Why? Because the big advantage to reusing blog posts is that you can save HEAPS of time in creating social posts. But how do you actually create that initial blog post if you’re stuck for time and ideas?

The answer is in your hidden – already written – content asset. We all have these and they’re ripe for repurposing….you just need to realise where it’s hiding and what to do with it.

So, where the heck is it?

You may well be reading this blog post on it right now!

Yes, it’s your email.

Huh?

Emails morph beautifully into blog posts

This tip is awesome if you tend to write long, detailed emails. Which, um, I might just be guilty of. Show of hands, please?

The thing is that often clients or prospects or partners ask questions that prompt rather in-depth email replies. You may create these emails once a month, a couple times a year, or every other day. Or you may be one of those people who ALWAYS respond with hundreds and hundreds of words and ideas….

So, why not make use of these email responses in the same way we make multiple use of our blog or newsletter copy? The words are already written, and chances are that if one person has asked that question of you, there are others who are wondering the same thing.

There are some caveats however:

You want to use old ‘How-To’ type emails, or emails where you’re delivering your opinion on a particular topic in your niche, or where you are offering general tips and advice. The content should stand alone once all the personalisation has been stripped out of it.

NEVER include sensitive or confidential information that would identify the person who originally asked the question. The original question should only be included if you receive permission to do so.

How can you structure your blog post?

There are a few different ways you can do so:

Simply write an intro paragraph that says: “I received a question about X, and I thought I’d share my response.” This is the quick-and-dirty, 15-minute method.

You could include the author’s original question verbatim as part of your post, and then share your response – but only if you get permission.

You can make more extensive edits to the original response by adding additional information thereby turning it more into an ‘article’ versus a ‘Q & A’ piece. This obviously takes more time and effort, but in many instances will be worth it assuming the topic has broad appeal and interest to your readers. Most of the post is written already, and certainly the idea is already formed, so hey, what’s another 30 minutes?

Your challenge this week?

Comb through your ‘sent’ box on your email program and look for some juicy email replies that are ripe for repurposing. There is bound to be some gold in there.

Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Let me know how you got along.